§ 122-402. General landscaping regulations.

(a)

General site regulations. All unpaved areas of a site including those areas within adjacent rights-of-way shall be planted with grass, ground cover, shrubbery, or other suitable plant materials which shall extend to any abutting street pavement edge.

(b)

Landscaping in required front yard setbacks in RM-1, RM-2, C-2B, WF, M-1 and M-2 zoning districts. Landscaping shall include one deciduous tree and eight shrubs for each 30 linear feet or portion thereof of street frontage. Openings for driveways and sidewalks need not be considered when calculating the length of street frontage. Trees and shrubs may be planted at uniform intervals, at random or in groupings.

(c)

Areas within public rights-of-way. Areas shall be planted with grass or other suitable living ground cover, and shall be maintained by the owner or occupant of the adjacent property as if the right-of-way were part of the required yard. The use of gravel, stone, lava rocks, woodchips or other loose materials shall not be permitted within this area.

(d)

Greenbelts. Greenbelts shall conform to the following standards:

(1)

Greenbelt width. Greenbelts shall be at least five feet in width.

(2)

General planting regulations.

a.

Grass, ground cover or other suitable living plant material shall be planted over the entire area of a greenbelt except where paved walkways and driveways are located.

b.

A minimum of one deciduous or evergreen tree and eight shrubs shall be planted for each 30 lineal feet or portion thereof. Or, alternatively, eight shrubs may be substituted for each required tree for a total of 16 shrubs for each 30 lineal feet. Trees and shrubs may be planted at uniform intervals, at random or in groupings.

(e)

Screening buffer.

(1)

Required landscaping.

a.

When required, a screening buffer shall consist of a five-foot wide planting strip planted with evergreen trees or shrubs that are a minimum five feet in height at the time of planting and of sufficient size so as to form a complete visual barrier; or

b.

In the alternate such a buffer may consist of a solid obscuring wall or fence with a six-foot minimum height in accordance with regulations for unobstructed sight zones set forth in section 122-69 and wall and/or fence regulations in article XIX.

(2)

Location of screening buffer. A screening buffer shall be required to effectively screen developed portions of the property whenever a nonresidential use in a commercial, office, waterfront or industrial district abuts a residential district or residential use, and in locations where loading areas would be visible from residential districts or uses. When a wall or fence is used to provide screening to an adjacent street, a greenbelt must be planted and maintained on the side of the wall or fence which faces the street. Such greenbelts must be planted in accordance with the regulations of section 122-402(d).

(3)

Screening of equipment. If visible from adjacent streets and/or properties, mechanical equipment, such as air compressors, pool pumps, transformers, sprinkler pumps, satellite dish antennae, air conditioners and similar equipment shall be screened on at least three sides. An open area may be maintained around such equipment to facilitate repairs and maintenance.

(f)

Unobstructed visibility for drivers. All landscaping shall comply with the unobstructed sight zone regulations of section 122-69.

(g)

Potential damage to utilities. Landscaping material shall be planted so as not to interfere with or cause damage to underground utility lines, public roads or other public facilities.

(h)

Landscaping divider medians. Where traffic on driveways, maneuvering lanes, service roads and private roads is separated by a divider median, the median shall be curbed and have a minimum width of ten feet. A minimum of one deciduous or evergreen tree shall be planted for each 30 linear feet or portion thereof of median length. Trees may be planted at uniform intervals, at random, or in groupings, but in no instance shall the center-to-center distance between trees exceed 60 feet. Median landscaping shall comply with the unobstructed sight distance regulations set forth in section 122-69.

(i)

Irrigation. Site plans shall indicate the proposed method of watering landscaped areas. All new construction, excluding single and two-family residential, shall include the installation of an automated irrigation system unless planning department staff determines that an equivalent method of irrigation is proposed. Plant materials and lawns shall be watered regularly and maintained in a healthy condition throughout the growing season.

(Ord. No. 2008-17, § 25, 12-15-08; Ord. No. 2012-8, § 10, 6-18-12)